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Now that Spring is upon us, it’s time to bring some life and color into your home! Terrariums are a fantastic way to freshen up any space. And better yet, they are SO easy. What's great about building a terrarium is that you can really make it your own and add elements that you love. For this one, I’ve added some stones that my kids brought back from the beach when they were small children. I never quite knew what to do with them, but adding a few to my terrariums is a fun way to be reminded of them. Here is a step by step guide to creating your very own springtime terrarium.

What you’ll need:

Glass Container, with or without lid

Charcoal

Soil (specfic for the plants you are using)

Decorative rocks or pebbles for layering

Plants of your choice

Decorative moss and/or objects

Directions:

The base: You definitely want to begin by laying down some charcoal in the bottom of your container. This will absorb the smells that can come with moisture. Place the charcoal in a mound in the center of the container.

Potting Soil: Next we are going to mound some soil on top of the charcoal being careful to leave the outer edges by the glass container untouched. Lay the soil in a way that creates a mound in the center so we can create some rock layers around the soil. We are using potting soil because we are using basic house plants, so potting soil is great, but if you are planting succulents or cacti, you will want to use soil that is appropriate for those species.

Rock Layer: Place the rocks on the sides, around the soil mound. You can purchase these potting rocks at any local nursery; mine are from Windmill Gardens in the Southend. Lay the rocks around the mound. We wanted to kind of mix it up with our terrarium, so we laid a layer of white rock in between each layer. As you layer rocks continue building soil in the middle and rocks on the other edges.

Potting Soil: After the rocks are laid down, cover the entire top with a three or four inches of potting soil.

Add the plants: The key to an interesting terrarium is choosing beautiful, contrasting foliage. We chose to use a taller green plant, one small green plant, and a fun pop of purple flowers. Gently place the plants in the top layer of soil.

Finishing Touches: Put the final touches on by placing moss over the top layer of soil, and around the plants. Adding other accents like pinecones or some beautiful stone creates a fun and interesting look as well!

And just like that, you've got a beautiful terrarium! We love placing these in the center of a coffee or side table. They also work as a great accent on a bathroom counter that has natural lighting. Caring for them is pretty easy. Watering needs to be done lightly and less often than other house plants since they have their own ecosystem in place.

We are sure you’ll love your new terrarium as it brings a new life to your home. Enjoy!